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REPRESENTING THE MENTALLY ILL OFFENDER:

REPRESENTING THE MENTALLY ILL OFFENDER:. An Evaluation of Advocacy Alternatives. Partners and Roles. Task Force on Indigent Defense Leadership for indigent defense policy and practice. National Center for State Courts Conducted site visits to document court and defender processes.

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REPRESENTING THE MENTALLY ILL OFFENDER:

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  1. REPRESENTING THE MENTALLY ILL OFFENDER: An Evaluation of Advocacy Alternatives

  2. Partners and Roles • Task Force on Indigent Defense • Leadership for indigent defense policy and practice. • National Center for State Courts • Conducted site visits to document court and defender processes. • Public Policy Research Institute • Conducted database analysis to track program impacts on treatment engagement, recidivism, and jail days. • Council for State Governments • National membership organization for state policymakers provided complementary expertise to guide the project.

  3. What have we learned? EngagementMatters!

  4. Dallas County Psychiatric and Medical Care at the Jail Mental Health/Jail Diversion Coordination to Identify Persons with Mental Illness Mental Health Prosecutor Mental Health Public Defender Competency Team Tracks Defendants Identified as Incompetent

  5. Tarrant County Jail-Based Assessment and Treatment Program Mental Health Court-Misdemeanors and Low-level Felonies Intensive Pre-trial and Post-disposition Case Management Services

  6. Travis County • Jail-Based Mental Health Assessment • Mental Health Docket – Misdemeanors • Mental Health Public Defender Unit • Special Trained Mental Health Wheel Attorneys • Specialized Mental Health Probation Unit

  7. Engagement In Treatment Services Improves Defendant Outcomes

  8. Strategies for Enhancing Culture and Opportunity for Treatment Engagement

  9. Prompt Identification • Interviewed • Mental Health Data- base • Assessment • Treatment • Dissemination

  10. Clear Clinical and Criminal Justice Eligibility • Travis • Receive a code • Assigned by criminal court administrator a wheel attorney or Mental Health Public Defender (MHPD) • Only misdemeanors, no felonies • Tarrant • Screened by Mental Health Coordinators • Responsibility of Individual to call for interview appointment 50% do not contact court • Accepted by Mental Health Coordinator, then referral to prosecuting attorney • Dallas • Diagnosis of Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder or Major Depressive Disorder • Next Selection is based on offense • Criminal History • Assistant District Attorney reviews eligible names and conducts NCIC/TCIC

  11. Stakeholder Processes and Structures that Promote Collaboration and Communication

  12. Strong Judicial Leadership and Commitment

  13. New Roles for Prosecutors

  14. New Strategies for Defense Counsel

  15. Case Management and Social Work Support Services • Assessment • Monitoring • Transitional Services

  16. Sufficient Treatment and Service Capacity • Tarrant • Tarrant County Assertive Treatment Program (TCAT) • Intensive program ensures clients are connected to right services and comply with treatment • Rehabilitative Alternative for Parolees and Probationers (RAPP) • Intensive program for parolees and probationers to get connected to community resources and comply with treatment • Dallas • Outpatient Services for Offenders • Rehabilitation/skills training, linkage to community resources, chemical dependency treatment, and medication monitoring on outpatient basis • Assertive Community Team (ACT) • The most intensive outpatient services available - 24 hour/7 day a week access to case management.

  17. Institutionalize the Programs

  18. Chance of 6-Month Recidivism

  19. Chance of 6-Month Recidivism

  20. Chance of Probation Instead of Jail Time

  21. Chance of Probation Instead of Jail Time

  22. Effect on 6-Month Service Engagement

  23. Effect on 6-Month Service Engagement

  24. Engagement Matters!

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